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Way to Health

Innovative Rehabilitation: Gaming Therapy for Our Patients

A new rehabilitation direction has appeared in our center — Gaming Therapy 🎮 This is much more than just playing games. It is a modern rehabilitation tool that helps people affected by war return to an active life. 👉 Reducing PTSD symptoms 👉 Managing anxiety-related conditions 👉 Developing social interaction and communication skills Through concentration, emotional engagement, teamwork, and achieving shared goals, gaming therapy helps restore skills, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging to society. This approach is based on modern international practices and has already been integrated into our center’s rehabilitation program. We would like to thank our partners for supporting this initiative: 🤝 boars.gaming — for providing equipment and helping bring this project to life 🤝 life.at.room8group — for strategic support of an initiative that creates new opportunities for the recovery of our patients We do more than help people recover. We help them live again.

Way to Health
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Effectiveness of VR Therapy Using the VRNOW Simulator for Phantom Pain After Amputation

The peer-reviewed journal Rehabilitation and Recreation, indexed in Scopus, has published a study on the effectiveness of VR therapy for phantom limb pain following lower limb amputation. The study was conducted at the medical rehabilitation centre where patients funded by our foundation receive treatment. The results confirm what we have believed from the very beginning: VR therapy is not an experiment — it is real help for real people. Researchers set out to prove the effectiveness of VR therapy using the VRNOW simulator in reducing phantom limb pain in military personnel who have undergone lower limb amputation. The study ran throughout 2024–2025 and consisted of two 14-day courses. Phantom limb pain is one of the most debilitating consequences of amputation. A person experiences intense pain in a limb that no longer exists. Conventional methods such as mirror therapy have limited clinical effectiveness. That is precisely why finding new approaches matters so much. 36 male military veterans who had undergone lower limb amputation took part in the study. The average age was 41 years. All 100% of participants were Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen. In 63.9% of cases the amputation was below the knee; in 36.1% it was above the knee. The study results showed a significant reduction in phantom pain after undergoing VR therapy. The number of patients with constant phantom pain decreased from 30 to 8 people. The number of patients with moderate stump pain decreased from 22 to 6 people. Persistent phantom sensations were also significantly reduced — from 28 to 6 people. In addition, an improvement of 28.4 points was recorded on the SF-36 pain scale (p≤0.001), while the overall quality of life index increased by 12 points (p≤0.01). The effect of VR therapy is explained by the mechanism of sensorimotor reintegration: the brain receives visual and motor feedback from the "restored" limb in virtual space, gradually restructuring neural connections and reducing pain intensity. Unlike painkillers, this does not mask the symptom — it addresses its root cause at the level of the brain's body map. "The use of VR therapy with the VRNOW simulator in patients after lower limb amputation contributes to a reduction in residual limb pain, phantom limb pain and phantom sensations through step-by-step sensorimotor stimulation and restoration of neural connections." — Zviriaka O.M., Svyst O.M., Kerestei V.V. // Rehabilitation and Recreation, Vol. 20, №1, 2026 The study was conducted at the Medical Centre "Way to Health" — the rehabilitation partner of our foundation. All 36 study participants received rehabilitation funded by the Way to Health Charity Foundation. The foundation is acknowledged in the study as a partner in supporting the rehabilitation process. It is thanks to the support of our donors and partners that these individuals were able to complete a full rehabilitation course — and become part of a scientific study that now validates this approach for hundreds of other veterans. A Scopus publication is not simply a scientific paper. It is confirmation that our approach is not only humane but scientifically grounded. The VR therapy we fund genuinely reduces pain and genuinely restores people to active functioning. Your contributions are invested not merely in "help" — but in approaches backed by internationally recognised evidence.

Way to Health
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At adaptive swimming competition

We are truly honored to become partners of the adaptive swimming competition — an event that goes far beyond the scope of sport 🤝 This was not about medals or records. It was about strength of spirit, character, and the ability to keep moving forward even after the toughest challenges. Dozens of service members from different units gathered in the pool, united by a shared goal — to become stronger than their circumstances. The “Unbreakable” category is especially inspiring — it features military personnel with amputations. There were no winners determined here, because everyone who stepped up to the start and completed the distance is already a winner. Every swim reflects an inner strength that is worth far more than any award. The competition became an important part of physical and sports rehabilitation. For participants with injuries, water is not only about movement — it is about recovery, rebuilding trust in their bodies, and regaining confidence. And for those standing beside them, it represents support, unity, and true camaraderie. For the “Way to Health” Charitable Foundation, it is a great honor to be part of such initiatives and to support service members on their path to recovery 💙 We thank everyone who contributed to organizing this event and made this day possible. Together, we are creating a space where strength, resilience, and recovery truly matter 🙌

Way to Health
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Way to Health is visiting Carpathian Sea Democracy Week!

The “Way to Health” Charity Foundation is joining the Carpathian Sea Democracy Week 2026 and will take part in an open panel discussion dedicated to recovery and societal transformation. During the event, our team will contribute to broader discussions on recovery, resilience, and new approaches to supporting people affected by the war, as well as the development of effective cross-sector collaboration models. 📍 Location: Truskavets and Skhidnytsia 📅 Dates: April 27–30, 2026 Participation in this event is an opportunity for our team to share experience, build new partnerships, and jointly contribute to shaping effective solutions for Ukraine’s recovery. Stay tuned — we will be sharing insights from the event 💙💛